Russia working on peace draft, says Kremlin

MOSCOW — Russia is continuing to work on the draft memorandum setting out the principles of a possible future peace accord to end the conflict in Ukraine, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, after a call with US President Donald Trump earlier this month, said that Moscow was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about a future peace accord.

Putin said the memorandum would define the principles of a possible settlement, the timing of a possible peace agreement and details about a possible ceasefire.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the work was continuing on the Russian draft and that once the document was ready it would be handed over to Ukraine.

US-led efforts to force peace negotiations between the neighbors have failed to reach a breakthrough and left Trump frustrated with both sides.

Swarms of drones are being launched by both sides while fierce fighting is underway along key parts of the front.

Moscow on Tuesday accused Kyiv of increasing air barrages with the aim of disrupting peace talks and said its own massive assaults on Ukraine were a "response" to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia.

"Kyiv, with the support of some European countries, has taken a series of provocative steps to thwart negotiations initiated by Russia," Moscow's defense ministry said.

In the biggest aerial assault of the conflict, Russia pummeled Ukrainian cities and other targets with at least 367 drones and missiles the previous night into Sunday, killing at least 12 people, Ukrainian officials said.

Moscow claimed it was hitting "only military targets", adding it had launched the attacks after Ukraine sent 1,465 drones into Russia since May 20.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any decision by European countries that might give Ukraine enhanced long-range missile capabilities would be a dangerous move.

He said if such decisions were actually made, "they absolutely run counter to our aspirations to reach a political settlement and the efforts currently being made within the framework of the settlement".

Peskov's comments came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had spoken about the absence of range restrictions for weapons delivered to Ukraine.

Merz on Monday said his government would do everything possible to keep supporting Ukraine militarily, pointing out that the lack of range restrictions meant Ukraine could attack military targets in Russia.

"Ukraine wasn't able to do that until some time ago," Merz said at the WDR Europaforum. "With very few exceptions, it did not do so until recently."

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Merz's remarks suggested that a decision allowing such attacks had been made long ago.

Washington allowed Ukraine to use US-made weapons to strike deep into Russia, Reuters reported in November, in a significant reversal of US policy in Joe Biden's final months in office.

France and Germany's leaders said in May 2024 that Ukraine should be allowed to hit military sites inside Russia from which missiles were being fired at Ukrainian territory, but not other targets.

AGENCIES—XINHUA